PHOTO: Former Defense Min. Samukai still being nailed by the court
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- The Supreme Court of Liberia has today, Thursday, January 27, 2022 revoked the two years suspended jail sentence by the lower court (Criminal Court “C”) for the former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai’s failure 50% of the money stolen from the AFL soldiers’ welfare fund in the amount of US$573, 878. 15 during the past unity Party government.
The ex-Defense Minister and the others Mr. Samukai and his former deputy and the former Defense Ministry Comptroller had been facing trial for misappropriating some US$1.3 million. His leadership of the Armed Forces of Liberia had received huge amounts for the AFL’s Compulsory Contributing Fund, which the Government of Liberia had sent to the Ecobank Liberia, Ltd. It included US$460,000.00 in addition to US$687,656.35, making a total sum of US$1,147,665.35.
Says the latest Judgement: “They will now serve two years imprisonment and pay the full judgement amount of US$1, 147,656.35 (one million one hundred and forty seven thousand Six Hundred and Sixty United States Dollars Thirty Five Cents), less than the amount already paid…”
See Supreme Court’s latest judgement below:
Former Defense Minister Samukai won a landslide victory in the December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial election in Lofa County.
But since then, he has not yet been certificate, because of a challenge posed against his certification, amid his conviction for misappropriating over one million US dollars of welfare savings of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
Since the case was heard on December 1, 2021, the high court is set to deliver ruling on the two bills of information where, as the local parlance goes, “bamboo will divide kola” as to whether he will be separated from the other co-defendants.
Days after the traditional “country devils” recently laid siege on the bridge linking Bong and Lofa Counties over NEC’s failure to certificate Senator-elect Brownie J. Samukai, the Supreme Court of Liberia on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 heard separate Bills of Information filed by both the state defense lawyers.
The country devils together with some Lofa elders reportedly blocked the St. Paul bridge in protest against the long delay in certificating their Senator-elect, saying that this has led to the County’s under representation. Report by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com